Page 5 - 20160818-Haiti booklet

HOPE FOR HAITI

INTRODUCTION

Spanning a total of 5 long, yet paradoxically brief, though painful and arduous years of traversing

this fragile and often times broken road towards recovery, this tattered road, despite its cracks
and holes, is still in tact with many travelers still walking upon it. After being struck by the massive
earthquake in 2010, Haiti and its supporters have continuously shown that despite setbacks and

challenges, the will to stand is yet still strong. From individuals to communities, from non-profit
humanitarian groups to foreign governments, support for Haiti continues.

Since 2008, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation has committed its resources and manpower to
helping the people of Haiti, through projects and applications parallel with the Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations set in the year 2000, now the 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) for Agenda 2030 created in 2015. Although projects began in 2008,
aid efforts were increased in 2010 in the wake of the earthquake of that year. Following the

earthquake, Tzu Chi immediately mobilized Tzu Chi volunteers all over the world, raising funds
and carrying out more than 80 large scale post-disaster distributions, medical outreaches, and
development projects in the recovery and post-recovery period. Because of the devastation
and damage caused by the earthquake in 2010, relief and aid efforts extended beyond short-
term emergency aid to mid to long-term projects, which in turn effectuated all 8 of the United

Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. As an international humanitarian aid and relief NGO,
the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation aligns itself with all of the Development Goals, and as such,
implements projects and programs which fall in line with them.

During disaster relief efforts, many local volunteers participated in Tzu Chi activities. With their
help, Tzu Chi received the opportunity to meet and collaborate with the Sisters of Saint Anne
and the President of Durocher Kindergarten, proposed to rebuild two schools for girls: the
Marie Anne School and Secretarial School for Sisters of Saint Anne; and the Haitian Girl Scouts

operated Durocher Kindergarten, all of which Tzu Chi rebuilt to better standards. The long-term
humanitarian project in Haiti focused on the reconstruction of two schools for girls, Secretarial
school, and Durocher Kindergarten; and launched Happy Campus programs and the capacity-

building of local volunteers in Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien, so as to empower the local people.
This report documents and outlines these projects implemented by Tzu Chi in the post-recovery
period, as well as the partners that support and collaborate with the organization.